Iron Workers Local 402 Apprenticeship
Through apprenticeship programs, new entrants to the industry receive supervised training on the job and related theoretical instruction under the tutelage of master craft workers who are members of the building trades unions. Apprentices are employed and receive wages while training on-the-job, and the cost of the related instruction is paid for by the sponsoring JATC. This "earn while you learn" feature of apprenticeship makes it affordable for all.
Minimum qualifications, application and selection procedures, training content, wage progressions and completion requirements are determined by the apprenticeship programs of each affiliated union. All programs encourage women and minorities to apply.
The apprenticeship programs of the building and construction unions operate under standards registered and certified by the Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training, U.S. Department of Labor, or by a state apprenticeship agency.
College Credit
An innovation in the apprenticeship programs of the building trades combines apprenticeship with college study. In some programs, apprentices are "dually enrolled" in the apprenticeship program and in a college degree program. These programs recognize the achievement of those who successfully complete their apprenticeship and offer participating apprentices expanded career options. One such program is through the National Labor College, which offers apprentices an opportunity to receive college credit for their related instruction and on-the-job training, and simultaneously work toward a Bachelor of Technical Studies.
